Kwara Smart City Project: 23 Communities Reject Acquisition Of Farmlands
No fewer than 23 communities in the Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State have rejected plan by the state government to acquire their lands for the Smart City project.
The communities, under the aegis of Akanbi Wards 1 and 2, had claimed that they received a letter dated March 1st this year notifying them of the state government's intention to revoke/acquire the land for public use.
Addressing journalists on Friday in Fufu, headquarters of the Ilorin South Local Government Council, the Chairman of Akanbi Ward 1 and 2, Azeez Omolola, said: “The people of the 23 villages at home and abroad are expressing and registering our bitter feeling, sadness and deep sorrow over plan by the state government to acquire/revoke our land being used for farming for the establishment of Ilorin Smart City project when hunger is ravaging the people.”
Mr Omolola lamented that the planned revocation/acquisition of their land would mean sacking the people from their farmlands, thereby throwing them into acute and perpetual hunger.
He appealed to the state government for the immediate suspension of all plans to forcefully revoke/acquire their land for private use under the guise of public interest, urging the constitution of a panel of inquiry to look into the circumstances which had led to that decision that completely left them out on a matter that borders on their lives and livelihoods.
Besides, the spokesperson for the Ward stressed the need for the panel of inquiry to also examine all alternative ways to avoid destruction and grabbing of their communities' ancestral land, forests and farmlands.
He further counselled the state government to “halt and reverse the implementation of the policy and follow that by inviting all stakeholders in the communities for a meeting; constituting a special committee to look into the matter raised by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the notification letter as regards the issue of public interest.
“Recognise and allow our rights as indigenous people as enacted in national and international laws to be respected and preserved.”
Omolola urged the state government to “carry out a thorough and transparent review of the adverse ecological, socio-cultural, economic, financial and reputational impacts of the proposed Smart City before it precipitates a man-made disaster for our communities and the state at large.”
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Toyin Sanusi Kwara State Coalition Of Business And Professional Associations Borgu Shehu Salau Makama Of Kaiama Communication Network Support Services Oba Abdulkadir La\'aro Nigeria Foundation For Artificial Intelligence Moshood Kashimawo Abiola Abdulraufu Mustapha Olokoba Abdullahi Ayinla Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq Oniwasi Agbaye ITEM 7 Sunset Workers Government High School Adeta Colleges Of Education Academic Staff Union Moshood Mustapha Alao Ayotunde Bukola Ajikobi Cornelius Adebayo Yahaya Dumoye Nigerian Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs Rihanat Ajia Abdulrazaq Solihudeen Olaosebikan Maigida Bamikole Omishore Kwara Central Kamaldeen Kehinde Dauda Adeniran Adeshola General Hospital, Offa Amusement Park Saka Aleshinloye Yakub Ali-Agan SUBEB Bayo Mohammed Onimode Abdulrazaq Aiyelabegan Mahfouz Adedimeji Olabode George Towoju Alfa Modibo Belgore Ola Falade Samuel Olusegun Adedayo Abdulsalam Firdaous Amosa Dauda Adesola Kwara NIPR Hamza Usman Hussein Oloyede Ilorin Talaka Parapo Kassim Babamale Okedare Sulyman Abdulkareem Akom Construction And Engineering Synergy Ltd College Of Arabic And Islamic Legal Studies Oloriegbe Yusuf Amuda Gobir International Vocational Centre Press Release Erubu Oba Zubair Sunday Fagbemi Suleiman Mora Omar SARS Ibraheem Abdullateef Umar Adelodun Muhammed Danjuma Kwara Apc Turaki Post-utme Olatunji Ibrahim Sun Qing Rong Olatinwo Kazeem Adekanye Y.A. Abdulkareem Otoge SGBN Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye Osuwa

